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Into the Heartstone
~ The HeartStone World ~ You are walking down the street, when suddenly, someone calls out your name. You look around, and through the crowd of people, you finally spot an ancient man sitting in an alley. He looks like time has tried to assassinate him more than once... and failed miserably, yet leaving all the scars. "Listen, child," he says, then starts to laugh maniacally. You are tempted to tell him that you are not really a child, but then decides to ask instead; "what's so funny?" The ancient man shakes his head, but keeps laughing silently; "Nothing.... nothing, you just reminded me of someone, that's all. Look, if you give me a coin, I will tell you a good story, ok?" * * * You are almost about to turn away, when you feel a coin in your pocket. You could just give it to the old man and leave, it would be the decent thing to do, but before you know what you are doing, you have given him the coin and is sitting down opposite him. How strange, you were just about to leave, but then... The man plays with the coin, then nods to himself and starts to talk. His voice is actually rather pleasant to listen to. "Once upon a time," he starts his story, you are not so convinced that this will be worth your while, but some unknown force seem to keep you here. "no wait... not time, place... yes, there was once a world called Fel'Arthia, where there lived a man they called the Minstrel, a city they called Crossroads, a villain they called Forsetti and a group of heroes we shall call the GreyWardens. There were others, of course, many others... all of which deserves to be mentioned, but that is neither here nor there, as time, yes time... is far too short and precious to squander. " You are beginning to think that this man is not just old, but mad as the Hatter himself. And yet, for some weird reason, his mad ramblings sound oddly familiar to you. "Anyways," he continues, "as I were saying, this world started out as a beautiful place where every possible idea could be imagined, until the day when the Minstrel, and indeed the world itself, was betrayed by Forsetti, also known as the Betrayer. You see, that mad Lord of Industry wanted the world for himself, wanted to imprison every person who could think for himself and kill everyone who dared oppose him. Back in those days, all the realms of Fel'Arthia were at war with eachother. There were those, of course, who tried to aid the Minstrel, but even he was often afraid to fight the IronLord." The old man pauses for a second, and it feels to you like he has told you much more than just the words you heard. In your mind, you saw flying steamships, tanks, burning cities, a tower hidden in an ancient forest and much more. You are about to tell him to continue, when he begins speaking again. "That was the Fall of the Realms, but the Minstrel did manage to save parts of the world before it was destroyed by the terrible Ironmonger. Those remnants became the new Fel'Arthia, and in that world, there was no Forsetti, he had been locked away in an ethereal prison, far away from iron of any sorts. However, our Story does not stop here, because in this new world, a group calling themselves the Cult of the Lost One started to emerge from the shadows. No one really knows how that dread business all started, but with the Minstrel gone from the world, new shadows found the strength to gather in numbers. It was even whispered that the Lost One was actually Forsetti himself, and that he had found some way to reach out for his worshippers." The old man stops again, coughs. You almost fear for his life and start to reach out for him, but he stops you, "No, child, there is nothing you can do for me, except to listen to the rest of my tale. As I were saying, the shadows had begun preparing the return of their master, the Lost One, all they needed was to collect the last of the artifacts and then... *cough* ...but the GreyWardens had tried to find them for years, and always failed, until one day a young woman came to their door at Castle Vazhael and said that she knew where they were. Her name was Shiv'varra and she seemed almost too innocent, but sadly, none of the GreyWardens could see through her veil of deceit. She took them to a small ruined village called Greyshore, where she showed them the sanctuary of the cult, but... *cough* ...and then the GreyWardens were betrayed for the second time. In that Final Battle, the Minstrel revealed himself and was vrutally murdered by the Betrayer, but...*coughs heavily*" This time you grab the old man by the hand, fearing that he might not tell you everything, "what happend then... if the Minstrel was killed?!" "Yes... thats exactly the question... what happened after, or rather, what happened in the seconds before his death," the old man looks deep into your eyes, as if he is seeing your very soul and weighing it on his scales. "The Minstrel had managed to create the HeartStone, a beautiful and impossibly strong gemstone that contained within it a new world of his making. Now, had he not been killed in that very second, the Minstrel would surely have moved all of his people over to the new world, protecting them from the Betrayer, but alas, he did not have time. And yet, before the last of his breath escaped him, Twelves Tears ran down his cheek and touched the HeartStone. And with each of the Tears, a Memory... one Memory became the people that he had loved so dearly, another the home of his childhood, Crossroads... and thus, a new world was born from the death of the Minstrel." The old man leans back and gives you a wry smile. For a second, you are not really sure if this old man has sympathy for the Minstrel or for the Betrayer... "Yes, the HeartStone now protected the world from the Betrayer, and yet, it is rumored to be carried around his neck in a chain made from the purest and strongest iron. Forsetti might rule the old world, but all his thoughts are of the world that he cannot reach, the world within the HeartStone... and yet, while he himself cannot reach it, it is rumored that one of his IronMages have been able to, a ShadowLord named Garuun Harakk. So you see, the Heartlands, for that is what they call the HeartStone world, is not so safe after all... You are about to stand up. The story has been amazing, but now its time to go home, home to your own little safe world... when suddenly the madman grabs your wrist. "Don't go... we need you! You must go to the Heartlands and... *coughs*" You feel a sharp pain in you arm and then... everything blurs. When you finally awake, you are no longer in the real world, but instead... in the Heartlands...